In the 14-year period of 2005 through 2018, canines killed 471 Americans. Pit bulls contributed to 66% (311) of these deaths. Combined, pit bulls and rottweilers contributed to 76% of the total recorded deaths. | More »

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Mailman Suffers Severed Artery, Fractured Arm in Pit Bull Attack

From left: Pit bull, David Holland, Glen's mail truck, Tage Wright.

David Holland VideoUPDATE 05/03/09: In a video that offers a stark portrayal of a common pit bull owner, who cares nothing for the actual and collateral damage caused by his dogs, we bring you 19-year old David Holland. He starts by blaming the attack on his neighbors. According to reporters, the neighbors "should have told him" his dogs were loose. Holland then laughs as he looks across the street at the yard that still depicts the tipped over chair Glen used to defend himself.

Reporter: "What do you feel about the dogs?" Holland: "That they was protecting this house." Reporter: "From a mailman?" Holland: "Yeah, I came outside and he was hitting him in the head with a chair." Reporter: "Do you feel bad about what happened to the mailman?" Holland: "Of course I feel bad. Who wouldn't feel bad? It's a grown man. You see the way he was screaming...Who wouldn't feel bad?" (He then takes a long swig from his drink.) Reporter: "You're kinda smiling." Holland: "I'm smiling because you're pissing me the f*ck off."

The video also describes the attack on Glen. Witnesses say, one dog initially grabbed onto his mailbag. As he went to set his mailbag down, the other pit bull jumped him from behind and latched onto the back of his neck. Simultaneously, the second pit bull came from the front and tore into his thigh. The mailman suffered 22 puncture wounds and broken bones. Witnesses say it would have been a lot worse had Wright not chased them off with a hammer.

Authorities may file more charges against Holland. But after 28 previous visits to his home in addition to Holland owning a previous set of pit bulls that attacked another man, any additional charges now are "too little, too late."

05/02/09: Both Pit Bulls to Be Euthanized The two pits bulls that stem from a "line of vicious" dogs have been euthanized. Both Miracle and Fatboy, were put down with approval from their owner, 19-year old David Holland Jr. Though only one complaint was made against the dogs in the past year, police Lt. William Molis said two dozen complaints have been lodged against the Holland residence since 2006, mostly for noise disturbances and reports of suspicious activity.

Norwich Animal Control Officer Michele Kellough, and pit bull apologist, said she remembers the dogs' mother and father as "vicious." The mother was euthanized because of an attack and the father was the suspect in the mauling of a Meals-On-Wheels driver. She added that as many as 450 to 500 dogs pass through the cages at the Norwich dog pound each year, some abandoned and some too vicious to be placed in homes. Pit bulls are the most common.

The fines issued against Holland total $756. No criminal charges were filed. Meanwhile, mailman Jeff Glen continues to be hospitalized after suffering a severed artery and possible broken arm. It is likely that 19-year old Holland is "judgment proof" and will not pay a penny toward Glen's extensive medical bills. Furthermore, since there are likely no laws to stop Holland, he will purchase a new set of pit bulls in several weeks and start the process all over.

05/02/09: Lineage of "Man-Biting" Pit Bulls Norwich, CT - It was reported Friday that two pit bulls attacked a mailman as he was delivering mail in Norwich. According to police, the bite severed an artery in the mailman's leg and his arm could be fractured. The victim was identified as Jeff Glenn and as of Friday was listed in serious condition. The attack was the 28th time police had been called to the house with the dogs. The parents of the two dogs were euthanized after attacking someone else.

This is a clear example of aggressive, man-biting pit bulls producing more aggressive, man-biting pit bulls.

A construction worker, Tage Wright, 59, who was working on a home nearby heard the mailman screaming and went to help the man. "I grabbed my framing hammer and walked out the front door, and when I came out, I saw him and he was putting a chair between himself and the dogs, trying to keep the dogs off." Wright added, "Maybe [the pit bulls] know a mad carpenter with a framing hammer when they see one. They have teeth. I have a hammer."

The owners of the dogs said the animals "weren’t usually cruel" and got out of the backyard through a hole in the fence. David Holland, who owns the pit bulls, was charged with eight seemingly insignificant violations after the attack. This is despite the fact that Glen could have bled to death, the police had visited the home 28 times prior to the attack and Holland's previous pit bulls (the parents of these pit bulls) had attacked a person as well.

This is a perfect example of a need for “dangerous owner” statutes. If every community adopted such standards, after just two or three complaints, however minor, a person would be designated as a dangerous owner, their dogs seized, and they would be prohibited from owning any dogs for several years. You wouldn’t see these chronic complaints, because the dogs would be gone after just two or three.

They’re all “man-biters.” Let’s dump another myth – another oft repeated lie from the mauling advocates.

In the beginning, human aggressive dogs were slaughtered or abandoned, they didn’t develop within the fold of domesticates. Human friendliness was a necessary trait for all dogs, regardless of type. This wasn’t hard because early canines were pack animals, they had to work and get along with others. Humans were a simple adaptation for this social trait; broadening the definition of a pack member or leader was not a colossal leap.

Pit bulls never benefited from special selection for human friendliness; this potential characteristic already existed and was passed to them from their genetic predecessors. The only feature of their character that needed to be maintained was a modicum of pack loyalty and subservience to a pack leader (owner/handler.)

The myth of any special human friendliness by pit bulls is merely that – a myth. As in all animals bred and developed for competition, many faults are acceptable… so long as they can win. Winning is job one.

A parallel example of performance selection exists in the equine world. Anybody familiar with the race world knows that Thoroughbred horses rule the track. There is no other breed in contention beyond 2 furlongs. So you would think, if you subscribe to the so called “logic” within the mythology put forth by pit bull advocates, Thoroughbred horses must be the most tractable, gentle saddle horses ever created. After all, their purpose is to carry a rider; they don’t run these races by themselves! And Thoroughbreds have been in development for over 300 years – surely they are the most rider friendly of all horse breeds, aren’t they?

No one in the horse world would ever make such a claim about Thoroughbreds! The original stallions from the Mediterranean and Middle East were crossed with native horses to make them more manageable, but speed under saddle was and continues to be paramount. Many character faults are forgiven, so long as the horse can run!

And so it is in the TRUE history of pit bulls. Winning pit bulls that could be managed, even marginally, were always – ALWAYS – bred. No dogfighters ever forsake a winning lineage because of manageable human aggression. A winning pit dog need not be a family dog, anymore than a Thoroughbred needs the gentleness and versatility required for Junior 4-H horse shows.

The pit bull advocates have attempted to rewrite the history of pit dog selection. Their version is a fairy tale – a complete lie. Pit dogs were selected for strength, stamina, and aggression. If they happened to be tractable for their handlers, it was a fortunate happenstance carried over from their predecessor canines – definitely NOT a primary consideration in the development of winning pit dogs.

This pit advocate lie is a failed absurdity. The frequency and severity of attacks on humans make the truth self evident, regardless of how many times the lie is repeated.

OMG! There is absolutely no excuse for 28 calls! Who wants to bet the AC in this instance has ties to dog-fighting, Winograd, etc? This never should have happened to that poor man.

And Doug, you are so right. The pit nutters have all had 100 gallons of the Koolaid. They spew forth the propoganda and then some. I recently read a comment from a man claiming to breed pits for 25 years with never an incident. He even claimed that pits were never bred to be aggressive, they were bred to be human friendly because the owner’s had to be able to go into the pit in the middle of a fight without getting hurt, and they only reason that pits fight is because they are just the most loyal dogs in the world and only want to please their owners.

Reading the above story reminds me of how Knox County Tn. Animal control handles things. Wow, 28 complaint calls and nothing done. My prayers and heart goes out to the mailman. What is wrong with governments that they let things like this go on, until someone is injured or killed and then they make dumb excuses.

From what I read, only one of the calls was about the dogs. The rest were noise complaints and suspicious activity calls. If that’s the case, it’s not animal control that dropped the ball on this one, but the lazy police. I’ve got a hint for them. Suspicious activity usually means DRUG DEALING.

And what kind of drug dealer is minus his two pit bulls? Animal Control at the VERY LEAST should have called on Holland to see if he had properly licensed and vaccinated his dogs, his previous dogs had already attacked and been euthanized. I think this a two-part failure: the police and AC. Their inaction caused this mailman to be attacked and suffer severe injury. What if the dogs had attacked and killed a kid?

First I agree, the public should demand better “public safety” priorities from AC agencies. First the divisions need to, due to humaniacs the AC has turned to animal care instead of animal control. Also they are not recognized as such,they do not get safety retirement or any of the perks a “public safety employee” gets therefore most do not even see thmeselves in that manner even though they risk their own SAFETY to protect the SAFETY of others. Second…I wish to god I lived in Norwich as I watched this, if that was my father the police would get 1 more call there…..and it would be the last………..

This is to clarify several misconceptions some folks have regarding this story. The police were called to this residence 28 times in the past for loud music, disturbances, and suspected narcotic activity. With the exception of a few calls arrests were made in each instance.There have been no other dog complaint related calls to that residence.

In 2008 ACO Kellough responded to and seized the mother of the two pit bulls who attacked the mail carrier. The owner himself (Holland) called because the dog ‘had gone crazy’. ACO Kellough went to the residence with a police officer in the event the dog attacked her and managed to noose-pole the dog, impound it and because of its vicious nature, euthanized it. It was later discovered that the dog had attacked Holland’s mother at a local park where he was walking with the dog. His mother reported to the ACO’s that she had been attacked by a roaming Labardor (which of course was never located). Holland secreted the dog away until it ‘went crazy’.In the mailman’s case (and the video) Holland was given an infraction ticket with fines totalling $700+. He signed to have the dogs eithanized and the following morning he came to the Norwich Pound and insisted ACO Kellough rescind the order that he signed because he changed his mind and wanted his dogs back. This was because his mother was yelling at him the day of the mauling that he should not have signed the dogs over to the ACO because they could sell them and ‘make money’. Getting a clearer picture here of what kind of people are being dealt with here?ACO Kellough immediately telephoned her supervisor at the Norwich Police Department who ordered her to bring the dogs to the vet and euthanize them.

Now I for one know that not all pit bull terriers are vicious. I’ve known several people who have them…responsible people I might add…and have had instances where I’ve been in contact with a few at pounds that have been docile.No dog can be completely trusted. Holland and many of these other people who have these dogs train them, breed them and treat them poorly (an understatement) to be vicious or their lack of proper care and training makes them what they are. In Connecticut you cannot euthanize a dog that bites or is vicious unless there is no owner/owner cannot be located or the animal is signed over to an ACO with a signed euthinaisa form. If the ACO decides the dog should be put down due to his vicious nature, the owner can appeal to the State Department of Agriculture for a hearing. ACO Kellough has 2 vicious dogs (one a pit bull) that have been in custody for almost a year because one of the hearings is in appeals and in the case of one, euthanization is recommended and has to be approved by the Commissioner of the Dept of Ag. Such are Connecticut laws. I can speak for ACO Kellough…a professional with 25 years on the job and not a pit bull sympathiezer..she finds the laws (especially in vicious dog cases) as teriffically restrictive. This in addition to the majority of people who keep dangerous pit bulls are the likes of Holland and his dysfunctional family. People are under the misconception a court can order you to never own dogs again. Sure…just like they can suspend your driver’s license and tell you not to drive.Keep in mind that in most attack cases the dogs are unregistered and when you track down the owner, they claim they’re ‘watching’ the dog for someone else. The ‘someone else’ is either nameless (first name only) or you’re shuffled off to another party who cannot be located. Depite an arrest its contested in court and the court recognizes that no solid proof of ownership can be assigned and the case is dismissed. This happens more than you can imagine.The dogs are hidden from view…usually raised in basements and away from the eyes of neighbors or police so ownership cannot be assigned. Finally, you can’t quite make arrests or prove ownership when you show up to a mauling in a neighborhood where no one will commit anything to the police as far as who owns the dogs. But blaming the police or the ACO’s for a mauling is first and foremost. Despite the fact that the neighbors are well aware of who the dog’s owners are.In the Norwich incident this was not the cae and neighbor’s readily reported that Holland is the owner of the dogs. This is usually never the case for the most part.

I hope that clears up any misconceptions of the incident and answers some questions. And Holland? There isn’t anything to prevent him from getting more dogs. Nothing. That doesn’t sit well with anyone whose decent and law abiding but of course were aren’t talking about a stellar individual, are we? The video proves that.